


Marauder Origins

by captain_0bvious



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anxiety, Brotp, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Issues, Gen, Hogwarts House Sorting, Like really patient, Manipulation, Marauders, Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Marauders' Era, Platonic Relationships, Protective Minerva McGonagall, Slow Build, my muse frequently vacations, please be patient
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-07-10 20:19:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15956771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_0bvious/pseuds/captain_0bvious
Summary: Follow James, Sirius, Peter and Remus as they get into various adventures and trouble at Hogwarts, making friends and enemies alike as they become the Marauders, who created the map, and set the bar for mischief-makers to come.





	1. Hogwarts Express

_1 st September 1971_

 

The platform was full of people hustling and bustling, trying to load their luggage onto the train and saying farewells to family members. An assortment of sounds filled the air, owls hooting, people chattering, and crying, yowls, growls and hisses of cats confined to cages and more. A clock hanging from the wall showed it was only 10:00am, still early, but you had to be if you wanted a good seat.  
  
All those unfortunate enough already boarding the train felt an unpleasant chill as they passed a family so still and emotionless they could have passed for statues, the only one with emotion was a young boy, about 8 in age. He was bouncing in excitement, knowing his big brother was going off to school, the older brother couldn’t help but smile at his excitement, which soon slipped off at the sight of the sour look on the woman in front of him.

 

“So much filth and dirty blood here, when will they learn not to let trash like those Mud-bloods into our world?” The woman spat, looking around the platform in disgust, crinkling up her nose and sneering at the open mouth, awe filled muggles and muggle-borns having their first true glance into the Wizarding world. “Promise me you’ll show them their true place Sirius, don’t be afraid of the power the noble blood in our veins, make us proud.”  
  
“Yes Mother, I will,” scoffed Sirius, barely suppressing an eye roll.  
  
He looked over the platform, not with the sneer his mother did, but rather with open curiosity, many of them would be his classmates, for the first time he could remember, he’d be free from the clutches of his mother and her blatantly racist remarks. With an intentional deep breath, he smelt freedom, change, and just a hint of hope. Quickly schooling his face into a look of disdain, he looked down his nose at them, like he had been taught, promising himself just a few more minutes and then he would be on the train and out of her claws.

 

After several minutes of uncomfortable cold silence, he made an excuse and boarded the train, finding the furtherest empty compartment and sitting near the door, breathing a sigh of relief, his mask slipping off and shoulders slouching. With his head in his hands, he groaned his frustrations how was he going to survive the year with such high expectations on his shoulders. Instead he worked on making himself as small as possible, which was easy enough, as at age 11 he was scrawny and a bit on the short side, what he lacked in height, he made up for with an almost dangerous glint in his eye.  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
Across the platform, near one of the many carriages, was a family full of warmth, it was hard to find who was more excited, maybe the father who kept trying discreetly to put a potion on his son’s hair, who with a practised ease, moved the potion away and pushed up his glasses. The son oozed an aura of confidence and mischievousness as well as pure, raw talent, he shot a cocky grin at any girl who past him. “Come on James, why don’t you let me tame that mane of yours for once, or do you intend to be Gryffindor’s mascot? You’d make a good lion.” Fleamont grinned at his son, a gleam in his eye, already knowing what the answer would be.  
  
“Dad, I told you, I’m setting a trend here, you’ll see, one day messy hair will be in, and no one will have need of Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion, the age of slick hair will be over.” James smirked back, rolling his eyes playfully, replying to well practised teasing, with an air of being bored and uninterested.  
  
With a practised gesture, Fleamont grabbed his son by the shoulders and ruffled his hair, laughing in delight as the few drops of potion on his hand tamed James’ wild hair, partially. Now, instead of artfully ruffled, it looked like a proper mess, half of it slicked back and tamed, the rest poking up in every possible direction. Quickly squirming out from under his fathers grasp, James tried, in vain, to mess up his hair again, but only resulted in making it worse. A small ‘humph’ exited his mouth, and ignoring Fleamont, he kissed his mother on the cheek, hugged her and pranced off towards the closest carriage, only to be trapped in a hug from behind.

 

“Dad! Let go, you’re embarrassing me! Others can see!” With a chuckle, Fleamont released his son, who raced off towards the carriage, waving from the door, before finding a compartment. He found an empty one, not noticing the young boy in black shrunk against the seat.

  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
In yet another part of the station, was a small family, thin with worry, the son in particular looked pale and peaky, his face gaunt and scarred, his eyes darting around at every small movement, and every time someone brushed past him he shrunk further into his over-sized sweater. He clutched his backpack to his chest like it was his only lifeline, reaching into its pocket and brushing his book, relaxing very slightly as he does. After a pause, his parents wrapped him in a hug, “Do good Remus, and, just keep your head down okay? And if it gets too much, write us a letter, or tell Dumbledore and you can just leave.”  


With a small nod, he stood back from them and padded off to the train, flinching from any contact, every muscle in his body tensing. He grabbed the first empty compartment and settled into the window seat, not taking long to bring his feet up onto the seat, pull his sweater over his knees, and bury his nose into Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

  
As he read more, his tense posture relaxed as his focus was entirely on the words he was absorbing eagerly, and as a consequence, didn’t notice the door open and a short, shabby boy enter, sitting opposite him, looking, even more nervous than Remus. The stout boy who, after a short while of watching Remus read cleared his throat politely, the bookworm jumped hard enough to drop his book on the floor, only just noticing the other, and stare wide-eyed, all his fears racing through his mind at once, before coolly looking him dead in the eye.

 

“Yes? Why the rude interruption?” He said rudely. Remus had learnt early on it was the only way to ensure no one got close to him, so his secret didn’t get caught out.  
  
The other boy flinched, and immediately avoided his gaze, immediately showing submission to the clearly dominant boy. Who, with a cold, satisfied look, picked up his book and continued reading, looking at him, out of the corner of his eye.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

In the furtherest corner of the station, stood the Pettigrews, little was known about this family, even in the wizarding community, hence, curious glances kept getting thrown their way. The son, Peter looked nervous, and unsure, shrinking under the looks, fear, and the instinct to flee oozing out of every pore, and yet, he was excited and hopeful. This was his chance to make something of himself, and he was determined to no longer be a nobody, instead, aiming to be a someone in this brewing war, no matter the cost. With just a nod in farewell to his mother, he headed off onto the train, starting his journey to becoming a full-fledged wizard, hesitant, yet determined.  
  
By the time he got to the train there was no empty compartments, so he looked through the ones with room, and found one with a gaunt boy reading, he knocked softly before entering, sitting opposite the boy. Fascinated by someone so engrossed in such a small task as reading, he sat back and watched for a long while, watching as his facial expressions cycled through a variety of emotions as he took in each word. Noticing the time, he cleared his throat, so the reader wouldn’t get startled when the train started moving, freezing in place when he was pinned by a cold glare and colder voice, looking away in an instant, wondering what he did wrong.

 

When he thought the boy wasn’t looking he stole glances, taking interest in particular of the scars he could see, noticing just how nasty they looked, he hoped he could be as strong as this young, cold wizard was. While he waited for 11 o’clock to tick by, he reached into his bag and pulled out a bag of carrots, nibbling, more out of nerves than hunger.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

James lounged back in the seat after Lily and Severus left, looking with renewed curious eyes at the scrawny boy trying to sink into his chair in the corner. He didn’t get any sort of Slytherin vibes from him, in fact he got exactly the opposite, all he got was a coldness, and a fear, but beneath all that, determination, although, he wasn’t sure what for yet.

 

“So, your whole family is really in Slytherin, is that what you’re hoping for too then, huh?” asked James, trying to get the boy out of his tightly closed in walls.

 

“No, I don’t want to be anything like them, they are all You-Know-Who supporters, but families often get in the same house, so looks like I’m stuck with it.” He sinks further into the seat, looking at his feet, waiting for the boy opposite him to look at him with disgust and leave, he expected it at this point. “I’m Sirius Black by the way,” he might as well add fuel to the fire, glancing at him through his long bangs.

 

James smirked, he smelt rebellion on this boy, and just knew they’d get along well. He watched with concealed sympathy as Sirius sunk deeper into the seat, almost becoming one with it, eyes widening slightly as he realised he’d never had friendly contact with someone outside of his family’s influence.  


Smirk still on his face, he held out his hand to the timid Sirius, who hesitantly shook it, “well, nice to meet you Sirius, I’m James Potter, and Slytherin or not, I sense we’re going to be very good friends, there’s something about you I like.”

 

Sirius gave a small, hesitant smile, which dropped off just as fast as it arrived, withdrawing back into himself, a dark cloud of doubt and fear crossing his features. His mind already on sorting, too absorbed on his thoughts to hear, “anything off the trolley dears?”

 

Glancing over at Sirius, and sensing his dark mood, he turned on a bright beam and turned to the Trolley Witch, “we’ll take as much sweets and lollies as you can afford to lose please, sweetheart.”

 

She let out a girly giggle, and they made the transaction, and she gave him an extra chocolate frog, with a smile, “you charmer you.”

 

With a tip of an imaginary hat, she walked off, with a spring in her step. Once she left, James spilt the sweets, giving Sirius the majority of them, who gloomily tucked into a box of Bertie Botts, not checking which he put in his mouth. As a result, his whole face turned bright red as he bit into a Chilli Bean, and he stuck out his tongue in an effort to cool his mouth down. James would have offered his help, except he was busy trying to remember how to breath from laughing so hard, eventually falling off the seat, and lying there, shaking with laughter, glasses fogging up, tears rolling down his face.

 

Desperate he grabbed a chocolate frog and shoved it in his mouth, chewing fiercely, the dairy helped cool his mouth slightly but not enough, so he shoved his hand in again, searching for a milk flavoured Bean, taking a swig of his pumpkin juice, almost spraying James when it turned out the bean he grabbed was spoiled milk. Giving up, Sirius straight chugged his pumpkin juice, panting as his mouth returned to normal taste and temperature. James slowly sat up, leaning against the wall, giggling, glasses askew.

 

“It wasn’t that funny,” glared Sirius, snickering at the sight of the dishevelled James.

 

“Yes it was. Your face went bright red! And when you panted to try stop it!” James burst into another fit of giggles, slapping his knee as his face turned bright pink, tears once again streaming down his face.

 

He holds the glare a bit longer, before laughing at the sight of James, feeling the lightest he could remember, ever. The pressure he felt as the Black heir finally lifted off his shoulders, and he saw a spark of hope in his dull future, maybe he could introduce Regulus to James and together they’d both be free.

 

When at last the giggles had subsided, Sirius wiped the last of the tears away, not all from laughter, as he felt anxiety rise up at his ‘inappropriate behaviour,’ and he quickly turned away from James, fixing his gaze on the hallway. James immediately sensed the change in atmosphere, his smile dropping as he watched the boy he laughed with, shoulders heave and quiver, breathing becoming ragged. In an instant he was by Sirius’ side, comforting him, and just being there, rubbing his back, and offering him a monogrammed handkerchief, of course in the classic Gryffindor colours of red and gold. The Handkerchief immediately dabbed the eyes, as a paperbag was held to his mouth to control his breathing.

 

The two stayed in that position for half an hour, until Sirius finally had his panic under control. James gave him the once over, once satisfied, he gave the boy a final hug and reassurance he was there before giving him his space, leaving Sirius as stiff as a board. He’d never felt any affection before, nor had he lost control of his emotions, and certainly, never had he had fun before or laughed, certainly not to that degree. Before they could discuss what happened the Trolley Witch came back around to inform everyone it was best to put their robes on, as they were almost at Hogwarts.

 

Sure enough, when they glanced out the window, it was almost fully dark, and together they hastily changed into their robes and uniform, giving each other nervous smiles. With their robes on, they packed up the sweets they hadn’t eaten, putting them in their pockets, and they sat in comfortable silence, neither speaking about the panic attack, yet knowing it’d be brought up later.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Back in the Compartment with Remus, there was a long and uncomfortable silence, only to be broken by the turning of pages, or the occasional crunch of a carrot. Briefly a boy with greasy black hair and a girl with red hair and stunning emerald green eyes stopped by, but one cold glare from Remus sent them scampering, whispering under their breath about how rude everyone on the train was.  
  
It wasn’t until the Trolley Witch made her rounds their compartment got marginally warmer, more due to Remus almost buying her out of chocolate frogs, while Peter, with the limited money he had bought Bertie Botts, a Jelly Slug, Licorice wand, a Chocolate frog, a Pumpkin Pastie and a Cauldron Cake. The silence they once had now slightly warmer, and they ate in a fairly warm atmosphere, Peter nibbling at his treats while Remus was eating it ravenously like it was the first time he’d eaten in months, some of the colour coming back to his cheeks.

 

Sometime during the trip, Peter had gotten out one of the textbooks and started looking over it with nerves, looking up when a book was suddenly thrust under his nose. Grabbing it so he could actually read it, he was immediately intrigued, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, after a quick glance at the back, he curiously dove into the book, and from there a mutual silence formed.

 

Remus was enjoying the silence, while still finally having company that wasn’t his parents. For once he didn’t feel the pull of the moon as it drew closer and closer to the Full Moon controlling him once more, maybe this is what he needed, company, to help him control the wild beast inside. As he mulled over the silence, he was surprised when a drop suddenly hit his page, bringing his up, he was shocked to see he’d started crying silently, and he, out of embarrassment wiped it off with a shabby sleeve of his sweater. Stubbornly he turned back to his book, continuing to read, unaware his walls were slowly crumbling in the silence.

 

Peter glanced over as Remus wiped at his eyes, admiring how he was able to keep himself together when he was clearly falling apart, knowing he’d found a strong student, just what he wanted. He turned back to his own novel, already interested in it, absently nibbling on the corners of his food as he turned the pages.

 

As a consequence, it took the Trolley Witch entering and slamming her hands on the boys books before they noticed her, causing them to jump a few feet, with a cackle, she informed them they needed to change as they’d be arriving at Hogwarts soon. With a shocked look outside, they realised the compartments lights had been burning for a while.

 

Remus excused himself and walked to the toilet with his robes, a blush clear on his face, the whole time as he hugged his robes to his body he could feel eyes and heard whispers, and he felt his fears coming true, imagining they all knew his deep secret. He barely made it to the toilets and locked it when he released a sob of pure fear while he quickly changed, miserably looking over his scarred body, silently cursing the monster who’d scarred him so bad.

 

Once he was composed, and changed, he walked back to the compartment, inhaling the familiar scent of his sweater, as he shrunk into his clothes the best he could, hiding from the looks. His robes and uniform were the only thing that didn’t dangle loosely on his frame, despite the insistence of both him and his parents to loosen them, all claiming he may have a sudden growth spurt. As a result, the seemingly long walk back to the compartment led to him slinking back, hiding in the shadows best he can, hearing whispers all around him. To calm himself, on the long walk back, he recited a few pages of his favourite book.

 

Upon reaching the compartment he darted in and shut the door, closing the blind for good fortune, breathing shallowly out of fear, cramming a whole chocolate frog in his mouth and reading Frankenstein more, trying to stay calm, eyes darting wildly over the pages, not taking the words in. Peter watched the whole debacle with curious eyes, too afraid to ask, watching the jumpy boy’s eyes dart continuously to every corner, and flicking his ears like a dog in annoyance. Despite knowing the likelihood of getting his head bitten off, he sat next to the quivering child and hugged him, awkwardly.

It took a while, but Remus finally calmed down, just in time for them to arrive at Hogsmeade station, they hurriedly packed up their books and sweets and left. “B-By the way, I’m P-Peter, Peter Pettigrew,” Peter shakily held out his hand, which Remus took with a nervous smile, “Remus Lupin.”


	2. Sorting

A train whistle announced their arrival at Hogsmeade Station, and the train emptied onto the platform, which soon filled with the sounds of animals and chatter. The din was soon accompanied by a swinging lantern and the sound of “Firs’ years this way! Firs’ years over here!” Remus, who’d hopped off the train as soon as it stopped made his way towards the booming voice, Peter trying to keep up but soon getting lost in the crowd.  
  
Soon Remus stood in front a mountain of a man, and he shrunk back into his sweater, carrying his knapsack like it was a life line, something that didn’t escape Hagrid, whose chuckle sounded like thunder rumbling across the sky. “Hey lad, all baggage was ta be left on th’ train, but fo’ a lil’ thing like you I’ll make an exception.” He offered a small smile, which was lost in his beard, and moved on to his call, “Firs’ years! Firs’ years here, and be snappy about it! The res’ you lot, get a move on to the castle!”

 

With the crowd dispersing, Peter found his way towards the friendly mountain and glued himself to Remus’ side with a small sigh of relief, before backing up several steps at the look Remus shot him. Not long after James and Sirius stood at the back, content to lag behind, listening as instructions were given, rolling their eyes as Lily and Severus giggled in front of them.

 

In no time at all they were all in the boats sailing across the lake, heading towards the castle. Gasps of astonishment rippled across the water, as they gaped at the sight of the illuminated castle, windows flickering with soft candlelight, the towers melting into the darkness of the sky. Behind some of the windows white flashes going past as the ghosts floated by, as they got closer the smell of the feast became evident, and growls of hunger rumbled across the otherwise still water.

 

The only eventful thing that happened in their sail across was a tentacle rocking the boat Peter and Remus were in, but one quiet, and strangely wolven growl from Remus and it silently slipped back into the cool murky depths. Peter stammered out his thanks, “don’t mention it, the only reason I stopped it was I didn’t want my books wet, they’re impossible to dry.”

 

With a gentle stop, they docked, “All righ’ you lot, out you get, and follo’ me.” With a motion that make his boat rock violently Hagrid got out of the boat, helping others out. James and Sirius had been one of the first to depart and stood to the side, waiting patiently, Sirius becoming more withdrawn as time went on, shrinking into himself, making himself smaller than Remus. The atmosphere around him becoming choking and overwhelming with fear and worry before he schooled his face and emotions into a blank slate as he’d been taught.

 

Across the group a nervous and heavy atmosphere fell upon them, as they waited with bated breath to enter the castle that’d serve as school and home for the next few months. Remus almost trembling in fear, as fears of rejection and being found out danced in front of his eyes, at being expelled and being told he was a danger to everyone. He paled and touched his book, as it stood as a lodestone to ground him and bring him back to his senses, taking several steps away from Peter, who obediently followed anyway.

 

Oblivious to the high tension, Hagrid strode forward towards the entrance hall, the group trotting to keep up with his large strides. When they reached their final destination, they were greeted with a thin woman who looked like she’d just sucked on a lemon, tapping her foot out of impatience.

 

“Welcome to Hogwarts, I’m Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House, which some of you will be apart of by the end of tonight.” She paused, looking over the gathered first years with a skeptical eye, gaze softening as it meets Remus’ uncertain eyes.

 

“You be lead through to the Great Hall soon, we are just experiencing some last minute difficulties. While we wait, there are four Houses, which you who come from Wizarding families know about, there is Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff.” At the mention Sirius gave a small flinch and paled, something Professor McGonagall noticed curiously, before continuing, “As I mentioned, I am Gryffindor’s Head of House. The other Heads are Professor Flitwick for Ravenclaw, Professor Sprout for Hufflepuff and Professor Slughorn for Slytherin. You may go to your respective Head or Prefect if you have any questions, queries or problems, likewise, you may come to them if you require tutoring in a subject.”  
  
At that moment a ghost floated through the door, he was clearly not from this century or last century, as he wore a doublet, a rather large ruff and tights, with an air of pride and sophistication. “Professor McGonagall, the issue, has been dealt with, you are free to come through with the new students, some of whom I’m sure will join the noble house of Gryffindor.” He cast an expectant eye over them all, lingering and each and every one, looking deep into their eye, he’d learnt over the centuries that was the best way to get judge of character, second best only to the Hat’s sorting.

 

With a tight nod, McGonagall turned on her heel and opened the door, leading the short first years into the Great Hall, hiding a smile at the gasps of astonishment that rang across the room. They gazed at the floating candles and bewitched night sky with barely contained awe, muggle-borns took in even the simple sights of the ghosts floating around, eyes shining with excitement at the new chapter of their lives. Remus led the pack of anxiously excited first years, shrinking into his uniform, and clutching his knapsack, fighting the instinct to bolt in the opposite direction, relaxing slightly at Albus Dumbledore’s slight tilt of acknowledgement and warm smile, stopping in front of a stool with a hat more worn and shabby than his oldest sweater.

 

“ _It’s that time of year again,_

_Where it becomes decided_

_When we are all gathered together_

_And you all must be divided._

_Don’t judge this hat for being old,_

_Or just from looking shabby_

_For it may just surprise you_

_and show you your true self._

_Shall you join noble Gryffindor,_

_Where courage rules their hearts,_

_And chivalry controls their head,_

_Those daring Gryffindor's always pick their paths._

_Or perhaps you belong to Ravenclaw,_

_Whose intelligence rival all who stand in their way_

_Although don’t underestimate a Ravenclaws originality_

_For their creativity and quick wits can be deadly._

_Maybe Hufflepuff is where you shall go,_

_Whose loyalty and dedication is valued,_

_Don’t test a Hufflepuffs tolerance however,_

_For their patience may lead to your end._

_Or is Slytherin where you truly lie,_

_Whose cunning and ambition_

_Can turn them into the worst sort of enemy_

_With their deadly and precise dedication._

_So try me on, so I may find_

_What you value more,_

_Will it be Chivalry, Originality, Loyalty or Ambition?_

_Just don’t be frightened by what I may discover.”_

 

After a minute of silence that was broken by polite applause, the Sorting began, “I will call your name in alphabetical order family name first, Abyner, Bryan.”

 

A small skinny boy came forward, leaving the clutches of a small group of friends he’d already accumulated and sat on the stool, placing the hat on, after a few seconds of deliberation, “Hufflepuff!!” With a smile towards his friends he hopped off, removed the hat handing it to McGonagall and strode off towards the yellow table to cheers.

 

“Black, Sirius.”

 

Sirius paled rapidly, feeling rather than hearing the hisses and looks towards him, he slunk forward, shoulders tight around his neck, keeping his eyes low, stumbling onto the stool and pulling the hat low over his eyes so he didn’t have to see the crowd, turning bright red, holding back the panic. ‘Right then, Black eh? I know your family. But you don’t seem like them I see rebellion in you,’ a small voice spoke in Sirius’ mind, causing him to flinch, before speaking back. ‘N-no, I’m not l-like them at all, I don’t believe what they do. P-please don’t put me in Slytherin, or do maybe, I don’t want to get in trouble for not being Slytherin.’

 

The hat let out a low chuckle that resonated throughout his head, ‘To Slytherin or not to Slytherin then? I believe...’  
  
“Gryffindor!!!”

 

Numb. Silence. Paralysed. Fear. Panic. Anxious. That's how Sirius felt, sitting on the stool, a blurry fog covering his gaze, he only became aware of his surroundings and the whispers when McGonagall shook him, calling his name “Black! Go to your table.”

 

He stumbled to the Gryffindor table, shoulders hunched, curled in on himself, ignoring the dark looks getting shot his way from his cousins and the other blood purists. Upon reaching the table, he sank stiffly onto the bench, wishing more than anything he could sink right through into the dungeons, or lower. Completely unaware of the chill from Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington sitting to his immediate left, shivering from unrelated causes to the ghost in question, who was watching Sirius’ struggle to remain calm with detachment.

 

Sirius sat stiffer than a statue, barely paying attention to his surroundings, fighting the constant stream of rising panic, he could already hear and feel his mother’s cold disappointment at the news, sinking deeper and deeper into the wormhole of overwhelming emotion. Shivering uncontrollably as he feels a cold hand grasp around his heart, beginning to squeeze, restricting his breathing, causing it to labour and rise in pitch, only half paying attention to the sorting, while others around him remain blissfully unaware of the trouble he is having. Distantly, enough to draw him out of his bleak and dark future he was envisioning, he heard a name that drew his attention forward, “Evans, Lily!”

 

“Gryffindor!!” the smallest of no’s faintly ringing behind the eruption of cheers, which Sirius’ sharp ears traced back to the Severus guy who’d earlier been in the same carriage as him. Lily sat beside him, starting to offer a friendly smile, before noticing who he was, rolling her eyes, “oh its the rude boy from the train, you really should-” she stopped mid sentence. Noticing, unlike all the others, the wild panic that lurked in his eyes that darted around at every hint of movement, taking note of the barely noticeable flinches at every raised voice. “Are you okay?”

 

Sirius snapped to attention, and automatically slid on the cold mask his mother had schooled him in, in seconds, his demeanour changing from a frightened child to a blank wall which slammed with a loud clank over his emotional state. If Lily had been more observant, she would have seen right through the huge cracks that lined his mask. The raw pain and fear would have leapt out at her, fortunately, McGonagall had noticed, her sharp eyes picking up everything, eyes meeting with Madame Pomfrey, and they both nodded together, having noticed the same thing.

 

She would have been more concerned for Black if she wasn’t about to read out the next name on the list, her heart twinging with sympathy, she hadn’t shown to all her students. “Lupin, Remus.”

 

Silently, shoulders slumped, withdrawing deep into himself he climbed the mountain of steps that lead to the stool, shaking as he lowered the hat over his head. ‘Ah, so your the one the Headmaster pulled a lot of strings to come here. I can see why, theres plenty of talent here, deep intellect too, plenty of intelligence to spare it seems, you ooze potential-’ Remus rolled his eyes, attitude changing in an instant, from meek to cool and frosty. ‘So what, if I’m so intelligent then, sort me to Ravenclaw, you said it yourself, that's where the intellects go, all into that neat little box. Not that I fit any _neat little box_ , yes the Headmaster did pull strings so I could go to Hogwarts rather than have to become a total recluse at such a young age. So go on, sort me into Ravenclaw, so I can use my potential and my intelligence.’ A low growl escapes Remus’ lips, which is neatly caught by the hat he rammed completely over his head. ‘With that snarky attitude? No, Ravenclaw is not for you, talking back to the one who can see into your mind that boldly is more worthy of...’

 

“Gryffindor!!”

 

For the first time since he left home, a faint smile pulled across his face, instantly lifting the shadows that haunted his face, causing his features to look so much younger. He kept the smile on his face for the rest of the night, occasionally lighting up with a fully fledged smile as he thought over the conversation, and he watched as, “Pettigrew, Peter” went up to get sorted.

 

The hat was unnaturally silent for the first few seconds, ‘for one who seems so simple on the outside you are exceeding complex on the inside. I can see your thirst for power, you have an innate gift of finding the one who can get you where you want to be, then finding a way to slip away from their grasp at the crucial moment they need you. You are completely self driven, but you had reason to, for all this, you seem well suited for Slyther-’

 

Peter gulped at having being unravelled so fast, his mask crumpled, ‘No Slytherin is not for me, that is known for the dark wizards, and I am not interested in the Dark Arts, only in power. I want to prove myself an asset in this war and bring it to an end, so that no child has to raise themself as a war brews around them, I am aware of my weakness, which is why Slytherin is not for me, if they sense it, they will bully me to no end. Put me in Gryffindor instead.’

 

The Hat paused, clearly having never been challenged and argued against so thoroughly without much thought, with a clearly prepared speech. ‘Slytherin would help you towards your goal though, and your hunger to prove you are anything but weak oozes out of you, something even your classmates no matter how unobservant will notice. You wouldn’t have to hide as you hide now if you joined noble Salazar Slytherins house, you yourself could grow in power even and find those powerful witches or wizards you are looking for.’  
  
‘Hiding suits me better, its how I adapt and survive, I can plant ideas in others as if it were theirs and theirs alone, without being suspected. I don’t care if others take credit for what I think of, I will know that I thought of it, even if others don’t, no one looks at the one behind the scenes, and no one suspects the one in front to be the main mastermind. So, put me in Gryffindor please, I am not suited to Slytherin,’

 

‘If that is what you wish.’  
  
“Gryffindor!!”

 

He hopped off the stool with a timid smile, sitting beside Lupin, not too far down the table from Sirius, his smile growing bigger as he watched Remus secretly read under the table, a faint shimmer showing he was using a modified disillusion spell. Peter was secretly impressed at the display of magic, and knew he’d picked his first friend well, he gazed over the rest of the table, and the Great Hall, mentally evaluating all the students. Taking note of the interactions between each one, gears turning in his head as he watched, “Potter, James!” stroll confidently up to the stool.

 

‘Potter eh? Big family, and big shoes to fill. Lets see here, despite the arrogance, which seems to come with Gryffindors anyway, you are just about the exact copy of a Gryffindor, others may disagree, but you suit it well.’  
  
“Gryffindor!!”

 

Barely a second had past when the hat had been on his head, with a smirk and a wink, he hopped off the stool and strode to the table, sitting himself next to Sirius, who jolted out of his thoughts, staring wild-eyed at James. “Looks like you are stuck with me Black, didn’t I say we’d be friends?” James smirked confidently at Sirius, noticing instantly the wild panic he saw on the train, and nudging Sirius playfully with his shoulder, which helped shake off some of the cobwebs and shadows in the depths of his mind.

 

Sirius stared at James, he’d never seen such a friendly person before, James, to Sirius radiated confident and a genuine care for others, for those he thought deserved it, who he saw needed protecting most. He would never admit it to himself, but very deep down, Sirius knew that he needed protection. James was his chance to escape his family, to become his own person, rather than be known as another Black family member, to be known as another blood purist. Without realising it, Sirius ran his hand through his hair, to try mirror how James’ hair looked, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Potter, who smirked inwardly, immediately adopting an older brother manner.

 

Ruffling Sirius’ hair more, he pointed to the sorting, and with a smirk the two turned to the front, just in time to hear a name that immediately made them sneer, “Snape, Severus!”

 

The greasy haired boy walked up to the stool, almost tripping in his haste to be sorted, causing both Sirius and James to snicker, which echoed across the otherwise silent Hall, causing McGonagall to shoot them a cold glare which stopped them in their tracks, smiles dropping off. While Snape had eagerly jammed on the hat, ‘My, aren’t we an eager one? And I can see why, want to prove yourself to everyone, and you’re clever and resourceful enough to do so, even able to control your emotional magic from a young age to get the results you wanted.’

 

“Slytherin!!”

 

Sneering at the two who snickered at him, he strode over to the Slytherin table, sitting beside two people with long blonde hair, who introduced themselves promptly, as Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy.

 

The sorting finished not long after, finishing off with, “Yemen, George!” Who was sorted into Ravenclaw. Ceremony concluded, Professor McGonagall picked up the stool and hat, and put both behind the Professors table, and Albus Dumbledore stood.  
  
“I have a few words before we dig into our delicious meal that has been worked on, to new students, welcome to your home for the next few months, to returning students, welcome back. Now, please don’t let me delay your dinner any longer.”

 

With a flourish of his hand, the tables groaned under the sudden weight of food, the aroma of several roasts filled the air, and chattering to begin, at the appearance of the food, Lupin kept his nose in his book, nibbling at a potato, until he spotted the meat, and with a low sound he made in his throat, he put his book down, piling the meat on his plate high and starting to devour it. Similarly, Sirius also piled his plate high and began inhaling the food, something he’d never had such an abundance of before.  
  
Both Lily and James, without realising watched the two devour their meals with very little table manners, and different reactions. Lily looked on with horror and barely contained disgust as utensils were cast aside and grease and juices dripped down hands and faces. James with contained sympathy, as colour slowly filed into both of their faces, noting with some curiosity the almost animalistic look in Remus’ eyes as he digs into a medium rare steak. Vowing, as he tucked into a meal of venison and roast vegetables to protect both of them at all costs, sipping at his pumpkin juice in thought.

 

Peter could hardly eat, nerves still racing at how fast the hat unravelled him, resolving to look as weak as possible, and the best way to do that was hide with powerful friends, he’d already found at least one, glancing at the ravenous Remus. Others he’d have to just wait till classes started to start gauging their magical skill, he could wait, he could be patient, he’d have to, to make any difference in this war. Thoughts settling down, he started filling his plate, filling his goblet with Hot Chocolate and sipping it, watching at the soothing images that rises from the steam.

 

Slowly the chattering quietened down, and groans of satisfaction instead sounded, conversations still being held, first years staying silent unless prompted, while the second years watched on with sympathy, remembering how they felt a year ago. As the ferocity of eating slowed down, the hall become full of excitement and nerves, and discussions moved to the school year.

 

Dinner became replaced by food, and Remus, who’d thought he couldn’t eat any more, eyed a chocolate tower, and suddenly found more room in his stomach. Meanwhile, Sirius felt queasy, he’d never eaten so much in his life, sensing his new friend’s queasiness, James pulled out a Draught of Peace that Fleamont had altered to also reduce any feelings of queasiness or nausea. Muttering a quick spell he’d been taught to reheat it, and handing it to Sirius, who, in his state took it and chugged it down. Instantly, a wave of warmth washed over him, soothing both his panic and his queasiness, and he handed the empty bottle back with a nod of thanks.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

After everyone had had their fill of desert, the food along with the dishes vanished off the table, all attention was brought towards the front, where Dumbledore stood, fingers steepled patiently, a small, knowing smile playing along his lips. “To our new students, welcome; to returning students, welcome back. Another long, hard year of learning awaits us, to expand our knowledge not yet learnt, and to refresh us on that which has already been taught. Firstly, some notices, as always, the Forbidden Forest is entirely off limits to everyone, no exceptions, Mr Filch again wants me to remind you no joke products and to keep mud and dirt out of the halls. Please also remember magic is strictly prohibited from the corridors, and should only be used in classrooms.”

 

He paused, smiling as a few jaw cracking yawns spread across the hall, eyes lingering on the pale, gaunt boy sitting at Gryffindor. “But, I think that's enough for tonight, off to bed, Prefects will lead you to your respective common rooms.”

 

At his dismissal there was a clutter of noise as students rose to their feet, McGonagall made a direct beeline to her houses table, zoning in specifically to both Remus and Sirius, Madame Pomfrey not far behind in tow. With a quick glance at Remus which he interpreted that he’d be spoken to soon, he watched with interest as they fussed over Sirius, who, at the dismissal had started to feel the panic rising again, but due to the potion, it had no exit, and so instead he had a growing bundle of emotions. James had lingered behind to watch too, at first his presence was protested, but Minerva’s sharp eyes soon picked up on Sirius subconsciously running his hand through his hair, and the comfort James’ presence alone had on the boy, and so the two were taken to the hospital wing to try calm him down more.

 

While the new brothers were escorted, McGonagall explained to Remus after checking no one was around. “The plan is, on the night of the full moon, and maybe a few nights before and after, you will be escorted to the Whomping Willow so you may transform without hurting anyone. As I’m sure you are aware, the first time this will happen is in just a few nights, so, in two nights time we’ll start the procedure.”

 

Remus, hiding behind his hair and shrinking more into his robes spoke up, “No, I don’t want that, and it doesn’t need to happen. Its only the full moon that full effects me, that, causes me to transform, the other nights, I just get more and more irritated, but also more withdrawn.”

 

Madame Pomfrey and Minerva exchanged a long look before nodding, “Okay Mr Lupin, then, if that is all, I’ll have Nick escort you to the common room, and your room.” Turning to Nick, who had hovered curiously behind, “Please take Mr Lupin up, his room is with Mr Pettigrew, Mr Black and Mr Potter. A Mr Lymer who was meant to arrive today didn’t show up, we’ve sent an owl, but we suspect You-Know-Who has something to do with it.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Remus silently followed Nick towards the common room, glancing back the way the two boys had gone, which did not go unnoticed by Nick. “Something on your mind young Mr Lupin? You seem awfully quiet.”

 

He started, he hadn’t been aware of just how obvious his glancing was, “No, I’m just curious about those two who went off the other way, James and Sirius I think their names were. They seem close, but not related, and both of their surnames I know I’ve heard before.”

 

Nick sniffed in destain, an odd gesture, considering as a ghost, he didn’t need to breath at all, “Mr Black comes from a line of Pure-bloods who pride themselves on their purity, his family looks down on anyone who is, in their words, ‘filth’ the muggle-borns, half-bloods. He is the first out of all of them to be in Gryffindor, which to them, would be an insult, its no wonder he is quite the state. The Blacks, are also these days, along with a few other families, are known with their support of You-Know-Who’s ideas, although they themselves aren’t actively following him. Mr Potter on the other hand, is also a Pure-blood, but his family is opposite to them, his father is inventor of the Sleekeazy hair potion. One of the earlier Potters is thought to have created a few potions himself, making the Potters seemingly quite adept at potioneering, it’ll be interesting if young Potter will follow his families steps.”

 

Remus took it all in, and thought it through, before he had the chance to answer, they’d arrived at his room, with a tilt of his head, literally, Nick floated through the wall. Peter, who had already unpacked and was in bed in his Pj’s looked up in surprise, “W-what was that about? What did they want to talk to you about? You’re not in trouble so early are you?”

 

Gritting his teeth and rolling his eyes he shook his head, just barely stopping a savage growl escaping his throat. Pointedly ignoring Peter and his questions, Remus drew the thick curtains around his bed, changed rapidly into his pjs. He unpacked his trunk enough so the small bookshelf he’d brought with him was full, at which point he grabbed his Frankenstein copy again, placed a lantern on the hook above his head and read. Ears pricked up for the slightest sounds, jumping at the rustling of sheets that signified Peter going to sleep.

 

As the night wore on, he heard the castle settling as people drifted off to sleep, the hushed whispers from other rooms quieting down. The soft snuffling sounds that meant Peter had fallen asleep, occasional snorts coming from his direction. At the sound, Remus gave a small smirk, yes, he felt he picked the book for Peter quite well, and it would be quite interesting to see what his take on it would be.

 

Later, at the sound of shuffling feet, and quiet murmurs, Remus jumped, he’d forgotten about the two missing from their room. Through a small gap in his curtains, he watched as the two entered, following a glowing, transparent cat, whose markings looked like glasses around its eyes. Book temporarily forgotten, and unaware he was doing the very thing he hated others doing, he watched curiously as a very shaky Sirius placed his small collection of potions on his night stand and a very energetic soft toy on his bed.

 

Once his pj’s were on, he climbed in, under the covers, chugged his potions and immediately fell asleep, unaware of James’ coming along and tucking him in, neatly lining up the empty bottles, before heading to his bed. Snuffles tucking in beside Sirius, Remus watched on in astonishment as the patronus curled up at the foot of Sirius’ bed and looked directly at him. With a small gasp he fell back, realising he’d been caught spying, the cat simply yawned and watched the sleeping boy.

 

Remus kept reading for a little while longer, glancing out at the window beside his bed, heart racing at the sight of the moon. The silence of the room getting to him as he bit his nails, feeling the pull of the moon, knowing soon he wouldn’t be able to resist any longer. He was terrified, it’d be the first full moon away from home, his first time being around a lot of people, so many warm bodies, and human flesh, it would be hard to resist the monster that lurked just below his skin.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, they found Sirius hands braced against a bed, struggling to breathe, a look of utter panic and shock painted on his face, as his chest heaves, tears dripping down his face. James stood beside him, rubbing his back, a look of relief at the sight of them, “Oh thank Merlin, he’s been like this since we got here, he started off fine, but then he started talking and his fears spilled out, and as they did he got more and more agitated and anxious, but I don’t have any more Draughts of Peace, Dad only gave me the one. So I’ve been looking after him best I can, but now you two can help him, right?”

 

Sirius had started at James’ voice, looking up, eyes darting between the two who just entered, immediately, McGonagalls usually stern expression softened at the sight. In her mind, Black was now under her care, as Head of Gryffindor, even if his family was known for being blood purists, he was now hers, at least until the Christmas Holidays, and she’d care for him. She may not have been blessed with her own children, but when she was given the chance to become Head of Gryffindor, she immediately automatically inherited all the kids in her house. Right now, one of her newest was in distress.

 

In five quick steps, she’d reached the bed, lowered it, sat down, and in one move, swept Sirius onto her lap and into her arms, embracing him as his heaving sobs of panic shook both of their bodies. James watched on wide eyed, while Madame Pomfrey bustled around, grabbing a small collection of potions, including a calming draught, Draught of Peace and dreamless sleeping potion. In a quick gesture, Minerva withdrew her wand and transfigured a spare pillow into an object of comfort, and embedded it with a simple cheering charm that would activate when squeezed, and an animating charm so it could have a bit of life, and a few other basic charms. James’ eyes widened more as a black shaggy toy dog sniffed him, and nuzzled him, in a hushed whisper he looked to McGonagall, “Why that particular shape?”

 

“It seemed to suit him best, and he could use protection, and this shape seems to be the most protective.” She looked over James, she saw arrogance in him, but she could also see his fierce loyalty for the panic stricken boy in her arms. As time went on Sirius calmed more and more, occasionally sniffling, but it was clear that he was teetering on the edge still. Wordlessly, James handed him his handkerchief again, and he took it, sitting up, face flushed, and eyes red, he moved his head in a way his hair fell into his eyes. He looked down when he felt a nudge at his hand, face lighting up at the sight of the Black shaggy dog, reading the collar and giving a small smile, picking it up and hugging it. “Thank you Professor for Snuffles.”

 

The two were sent off towards the common room, following a cat patronus McGonagall had conjured up, each carrying the potions Madam Pomfrey had set up, for the week, with strict instructions on how and when to take them. They quietly entered their room, changed into their pyjamas, and crawled into bed, Sirius immediately hugging Snuffles and taking the various potions, settling into a relaxing sleep, not feeling the cat curling at the foot of his bed, or that no one else had yet fallen asleep.


	3. Classes

 

The next morning came fast, and Sirius awoke to something nudging him awake, thinking everything was just a dream, he rolled over and mumbled, “five more minutes Kreacher, please?” Falling out of bed when he heard a snicker to his left, starting as he realised it was James, instantly he felt the weight of the world back on his shoulders when he realised it wasn’t a dream, he was in Gryffindor. He wasn’t in Slytherin. He was the first Black to not be in Slytherin. His mother is going to kill him.

 

James watched, smile frozen on his face as he watched his friend sink lower and lower at the thought, before he had the chance to do anything, Snuffles had leapt down onto his owners lap, causing the boy to look at him and give the faintest of smiles. Hugging the soft toy for dear life, he slowly got up and pulled on his uniform, only then realising it was only the two of them left in the room he turned to James, the question balancing on his lips.

 

“They left about 10 minutes ago, don’t know if you remember them at all but one is a skinny boy called Remus Lupin, he’s quiet, but you can tell by his eyes he’s intelligent. The other is Peter Pettigrew, he’s, how do I put this? Short and round, he looks kind of lost, but look close enough you can see a glimmer of, something, I’m not quite sure what it is. But both of them went down for breakfast, I thought though you might want to wake to a friendly face, considering the circumstances...” He trailed off, analysing Sirius’ face carefully.

 

Taking an intentional deep breath, Sirius packed his satchel and nodded, indicating he was ready, Snuffles hidden inside, before quickly making his way into Sirius’ arms, who didn’t protest the position. Together the two boys headed out of the dorm room, down through the empty common room, and out the painting that hid the entrance. Sirius gaped over the sight before him, he’d never seen so many paintings in such a huge amount of space, every wall seemed to be plastered in them, the chatting from them filled the air.

 

He took a step forward, and got immediately yanked back by James, who’d noticed what he hadn’t, there was no staircase. Gasping his thanks he impatiently waited for the staircase to decide to come back, tripping down it in his rush to get some food, causing James to burst into hysterics and come down after him, looking at the sprawled form of Sirius. Before Sirius could reply, McGonagall came up the stairs, almost every sign of last night gone, except for a faint glimmer of concern.

 

“Potter! Black! What on earth is taking you two so long? Everyone else is down at breakfast, why aren’t you two? Are you feeling alright Mr Black? What are you doing down there? Napping? This isn’t the time for naps! Here’s your timetables.” She thrust a piece of paper in the direction of the two of them.

 

Sirius blinked at all the attention, and scrambled to his feet, grabbing the paper, “Hi Professor. Its my fault. I only just woke up. James was waiting for me. I made him late. Don’t punish him. Punish me. I’m at fault here. I’m okay, I just fell down the stairs. Thank you.” It all rushed out in a garbled mess, each word stumbling over each other, eager to be heard. At the sound of it, McGonagall’s face softened, and with a terse nod, she turned and headed back to the Great Hall, the boys not too far behind her.

 

They entered at the same time, Sirius staring at his feet, missing the sneers and snickers coming from Lucius and Narcissa. James led Sirius to an available seat at Gryffindor table and loaded up both of their plates, before either of them could make a move to eat however, the owls arrived with the mail. A huge Tawny Owl landed in front of James, carrying a letter and a small package, once both were taken it took off again. Beside him, Sirius started shaking in fear, shrinking into his seat again, James looked over in confusion, mouth forming a silent ‘oh’ when he saw a Black screech owl in front of his friend, carrying a howler.

 

Pale and shaking like a leaf, Sirius took the howler, earning a harsh bite from the owl who took off fiercely, sending food scattering in every direction. The whole of Slytherin was watching now, clearly they’d been told in advance. Slowly, the pale boy slid his finger under the opening of the envelope which at the contact exploded into noise.

 

“SIRIUS. ORION. BLACK.”

 

McGonagall’s head shot up, eyes narrowing at the sound, targetting in on the source of it, and knowing that no special treatment could remove the embarrassment Black was now feeling.

 

“YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE NOBLE BLACK NAME. FOR CENTURIES WE HAVE BEEN IN NOBLE SLYTHERIN’S HOUSE AND LIKE A FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR YOU ARE A GRYFFINDOR. YOU BETTER FIX THIS MESS, PROVE THE HAT WRONG BOY. I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO CONSORT WITH THE FILTH THAT CONSORT WITH LOWLIFE MUD-”

 

A loud bang sounded, with a pale but shaky Sirius standing, wand drawn, the shredded paper floating gently to the ground. The Great Hall was silent as they all stared at the short first year who had just destroyed a howler. Lucius was first to break the silence as he let out a cackle, now furious, Sirius stormed over to the Slytherins, a fierce look in his eye, pointing his wand directly at him.

 

“So, your the one who wrote to mother and told her? Too coward to tell me to my face what you think of me? Well go on, I dare you.” His voice even, and chillingly cold, despite the heat, frost poured out of the wand, eyes blank.

 

Before McGonagall could storm over, Lucius replied, “Okay, I will. You are a weak little boy who is disrupting the natural order of blood purity simply by not being in the house his ancestors have been in for centuries. You are throwing away an opportunity many would love to have, and because what? You don’t believe what your family does? Grow up. Look at you, a scrawny, pathetic, weak little boy who clings to a toy like an infant, you will never amount to anything if you don’t start behaving how a Black should-”  
  
**_BANG!!!_**

 

Sparks and smoke exploded from Sirius’ wand, showering both Lucius and Narcissa in small flames and inflicting them in different ways. Lucius’ carefully maintained luscious locks went up in flames, leaving behind a burnt smell, his previously shiny Prefects badge splattered with ash, and where sparks landed on his robes red and gold spread across. Both of their mouths had been sealed shut, Narcissa had small burn marks all over her face, her nose had grown long enough to look like Pinocchio and her ears were larger than a house elf’s huge ears.

 

With a final scowl at the two Sirius stormed back to the Gryffindor table, who, like the rest of the school, was completely silent. As he walked away, he felt a breeze from a curse Severus had sent his way, a curse which McGonagall had deflected with a flick of her wand, and swiftly gave the four of them a detention, and removed 10 points each from Slytherin and Gryffindor. Noticing Narcissa opening her mouth to protest, McGonagall coolly said, “Do you want me to make it 50 Miss Black? You may not have done anything, but nor did you try stop anything.”

 

With that, she turned on her heel and headed back up to the Professors table, leaving Sirius sitting, still as a statue, still feeling the curse whizz past. He jumped when James’ hand landed on his shoulder gently, and numbly started stacking his plate with food, running his hand through his hair several times in an effort to calm down, with each brush his hair getting longer, covering his bright red face. Only those watching picked up on the accidental magic, but didn’t draw attention to it, they’d already seen Black’s temper and they didn’t want to be at the end of it.

 

Remus watched the whole thing with curiosity, remembering what Sir Nicholas had told him, Black’s outburst did not seem to conform to what he had said. It seemed quite the opposite, but, only time would tell, especially seeing as they would be sharing a dorm room for the foreseeable future. He was curious to see whether the young boy would grow during his time at Hogwarts away from home, would he settle into his families virtues or would he find himself.

 

Beside him, Peter was also watching, with a calculating eye, what was normally so easy for him, became a challenge. He couldn’t get a read on Sirius, what was clear though was his magical abilities, being able to do what he did to Lucius and Narcissa with no training, through accidental magic was impressive, and then magically growing his hair. On the other hand, his reaction both today and last night wasn’t the biggest indicator he was as strong as he appeared, this Black sure was an interesting specimen, one he’d have to keep a strong eye on the boy, see how he grew.

 

He turned his attention to Remus beside him, there were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked pale and sickly, but he shovelled food into his mouth as if it was his first meal. Piles of bacon and eggs disappeared down his throat, as he alternatively smeared marmalade and berry jam onto toast. It was as if he’d already burned off the mountain of food he had devoured last night and was ravenously hungry again.

 

With a shrug, he turned and nibbled on his own pile of food, listening as chatter arose about the debacle that happened earlier. He heard how the main three, Lucius, Narcissa and Sirius were all cousins distantly, and yet that seemed to go beyond a little family rivalry, it felt like fear potentially. On the other hand, that other first year, the one who had cast the curse, Severus, was an enigma, someone he’d never heard of before, but power he certainly had, it radiated from him. As did ambition, and a desire to grow stronger, to not be weak, something Peter recognised in himself he too strived for power, although clearly not in the way that Severus did.

 

Slowly the collective students quieted down to contented eating. The mood somber, excitement building for first classes, chatter increasing as the howler is forgotten, by most, except those it effected. A low growl from Snuffles alerting Sirius to an approaching figure, who sat in the free spot to his side, a hand entering his vision.  
  
“Hi, I’m Lymer, Robert Lymer, I was meant to arrive yesterday, but there was family issues, I’m meant to be in your dorm room. I hope we can be friends, I saw your display as I was entering the hall, very impressive, and very well deserved to them, although the detention and loss of points to you was unfair, after all, you were just defending yourself. I love your stuffed dog by the way, looks like advanced magic, how’d you get it? Who made it for you? It suits you well. Are you okay? You’re seeming to get more and more agitated, I’m not crowding you am I? My mumma always says that I just chat on and on and on and on without thinking about others and their personal space, so if I do that, just say so and I’ll shut right up. Otherwise I’ll never stop. What classes are you looking forward to? I personally can’t wait for both Transfiguration and Charms, both sound amazing, and so much better than the others, especially History of Magic-”  
  
“Could you just, please, for 5 minutes, for Merlins sake, shut up!” Grumbled Remus, barely visible behind his stack of toast, glaring at the chatting Robert. Eyes ringed with exhaustion.

Robert mimed zipping his lip closed, helping himself to food and starting to eat. Under the guise of eating he glanced at the ones around him, taking careful note of each student near him, specifically the First Years. His sharp eye immediately picked out the weakest of them, Peter, Sirius and Remus, however, in Sirius and Remus he felt inner strength that would show its way through later. James definitely came across as a, not quite responsible, but empathetic and caring individual with keen senses, Robert got the idea not much got past him.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Finally breakfast was over and students started trickling out to class. James and Sirius led the way to Charms, their first class of the schooling year, Sirius tightly clinging to Snuffles, his lifeline, seemingly unaware of Robert’s gaze watching him with scrutiny.

 

Once piled in and all seated, Professor Flitwick climbed up onto a pile of books and looked over the class and the register, nodding as he found familiar family names, head whipping to Sirius’ seat when he sees ‘Black’ on the list. Nodding slightly, he refocused on the rest of the class, checking off each student, before launching into the class expectations, and a brief outline on what they would be learning.

 

Once he had everyone practising the wand movements for the levitation charm, he came around to the section where James, Sirius and Robert were sitting. Standing briefly on the desk in front of the boys, admiring Snuffles for a time, before speaking up, “I heard Minerva had made that for you, is that true? It certainly has her mark on it, and she is gifted with Charms as well as Transfiguration, mind if I?”

 

At Sirius’ somewhat hesitant nod, he picked up the soft toy, looking over it more, and muttering a quick spell to detect all the spells put on it, smiling inwardly, yes, this was indeed a great piece of magic. With a nod of thanks, he placed the dog back down and continued to wander around the classroom, stopping at the opposite side briefly, remembering the warning staff had given about Remus Lupin, noting the exhaustion clear on his face, and pale colouring which only highlighted his lesser scars.

 

Lap around the classroom done, he went back to his desk and patiently waited, letting them practice a bit more, before squeaking out, “wands away now, and I’ll give you a bit of background on the spell. Or rather, I’ll pick someone from each small group around, and you can read out a section and then we’ll briefly discuss each section, whatever we don’t finish before class ends, you can write up an essay about for the next time we meet. Mr Lymer, you may start, everyone else, either open your books, listen, or write notes, but no speaking.”  
  
There was a rustling of pages as everyone looked for the correct pages, with only the slightest of sighs, Robert cleared his throat. “The levitation charm is one of the first spells learnt by any young witch or wizard. With the charm, a witch or wizard can make things fly with a flick of a wand. The charm is an excellent test of your magical skills, your wand control and your patience. This charm ought not to be used as a joke spell. It can be most useful in duels and can lift physical obstacles and can even be used to levitate small creatures, (though this is likely to confuse any poor animal and is certainly not be encouraged.)”  
  
At the mention of possible levitation of smaller creatures, James smirked mischievously and writing a few notes on a small piece of parchment. Nudging Sirius discreetly, who looked over, reading teh note and snickering, nodding and turning his attention back to Robert.

 

“The Levitation Charm was created in 1544 by warlock Jarleth Hobart who mistakenly believed he had at last succeeded in doing what wizardkind had so far failed to do, and learnt to fly. Hobart gathered a large crowd of wizards, including the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot to bare witness to his maiden flight; a public demonstration of his own revolutionary charm on himself. Climbing onto the roof of the local church, he gave several speeches and performed the National anthem, before casting the spell and leaping into the air, hovering mid-air.

At first it appeared he had succeeded, but after three minutes of watching him simply hover, the crowd grew restless and impatient, calling for him to move. In response to their demands he attempted vigorously to ‘swim’ mid-air, going nowhere. Mistakenly believing his clothes were making him heavier, he-” Robert coughed, hiding a snicker as he briefly read ahead, Flitwick, knowing how kids got, suppressed an eye roll and let it happen. “He stripped, and fell the ten feet between him and the ground, his clothes had the enchantment on him, and were allowing him to stay afloat, not weighing him down more. He fell naked, breaking 16 bones, and receiving a fine for ‘outrageous silliness’ from the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.”

 

He stopped there, a brief minute later James and Sirius attempted to suppress giggles at the history just given, a quiet snort from Robert causing their giggling fit to intensify. Soon the class was in an uproar of laughter, the only ones not joining in was Remus and Lily, heavily rolling their eyes and giving each other a long heavy look, muttering in sync, “How mature.” Instead the two decided to write notes on the history and anything else that could potentially be useful, aware of the time ticking past.

 

When the laughter stopped it was ten minutes before class was scheduled to end, Flitwick gave everyone a long look, satisfied they’d got it out of their system. “Okay class, so if you take anything from what Mr Lymer has read to us all, have it be that the Levitation charm affects mainly objects and obstacles, but it can affect small creatures. It is not encouraged as it can cause them to panic, so please, do not attempt to do that once we do learn how to cast the spell, which may be next week. Just practise the movements, and don’t forget that essay.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sirius was starting to feel a bit more at ease now, still feeling anxiety and panic rising, but being with James was helping he felt, and he found if he kept squeezing Snuffles paw then it would just about completely fade away. As the day went on he found himself squeezing the toy less and less, being with James helped, and Robert’s non-stop chatter did too, always cutting right into his rising panic.

 

Transfiguration was just about the same as Charms, with a lot more note taking, after a demonstration from Professor McGonagall. There was no time to practice anything, just a lot of explanations, and one particularly long lecture from her as Robert’s talking interrupted her, more than once. Apart from a brief glance, all signs of concern were wiped from McGonagalls face, giving a stern look to both James and Sirius when they giggled over something.

 

Lily for the whole lesson stayed next to Peter and Remus, which had its merits, she was staying away from the trouble makers who were slowly but surely making McGonagall more and more angry, and anything she didn’t understand, Remus helped explain. The two ended up conversing themselves, exchanging study notes and colour-coding tips, their soft whispers going undetected beneath the cackling going on at the back of the class.

 

Beside them, Peter couldn’t help but feel like the third-wheel, he was just managing to keep up despite his best efforts, still, by listening he managed to pick up what the two were discussing so avidly. Over the course of the class he gradually got better, arm jolting in shock at a particularly loud burst of laughter from the bumbling clowns, causing the wholes tables notes to be smeared with ink.

 

Remus cursed. Loudly.

 

“What was that Mr Lupin?”

 

He cursed again, under his breath, taking a deep calming breath, and spoke through his teeth, “it was nothing, I just got my notes completely ruined because some can’t keep their mouths shut during class.” Shooting a glare towards the three in question, whose smiles were wiped off when they saw the sharpness in the look.

 

With a sharp look herself towards the three, she placed the four of them in detention, siphoned off the ink from the three, removed 10 points from the four of them, and told Remus to stay behind after class, before continuing the lesson with the remaining time left. Peter glanced at the boy who looked absolutely furious, not only at the now silent three, but at himself. He tilted his head in curiosity, analysing him, he thought he had already read Remus as easily as his books, seemed like he was holding onto a few secrets, including a temper.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

As asked, Remus stayed behind after class, having a calming conversation with Professor McGonagall with tea and biscuits and a side of Calming Draught, after which, he joined the others for lunch. The rest of the day was uneventful, except when Peter’s broom bucked him off and sent him flying, and Robert’s flat out refused to leave the ground.

 

Dinner was much more subdued than breakfast, everyone chatting excitedly about their first day back, pointedly ignoring the deafening silence between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Robert however kept looking between the two groups, bouncing in his seat, until with a low growl, Remus slammed his hand into the table. “COULD YOU JUST STAY BLOODY STILL AND EAT!!”

 

Silence.

 

Every head in the hall turned their head to the angry first year, his scars silver in contrast to his scarlet face. Both Peter and Robert stared at Remus as if he had grown a second head, flinching back at the cold glare he sent them both. Powering through his meal before leaving the hall with a huff, making it as far as the Fat Lady before he broke down.

 

Sinking to his knees as the anger he had felt flowed out all at once, cursing several times under his breath, curling his fingers into fists. The Fat Lady, who definitely was not watching him could have sworn that his nails grew and sharpened into claws, which scratched the air just beside his face, and proceeded to gauge deep marks into the landing. With a sharp inhale, the claws retracted, and slowly the young boy rose, unsteadily to his feet, swaying, spoke the password, and entered, staggered up the stairs and fell onto his bed, completely exhausted, asleep before his head hit the pillow.

 

A short while later, everyone else started filtering into the common room, no one noticing the deep claw marks before they entered. Most claimed the sofa’s in front of the blazing fire, sinking deep into the soft embrace of the comfy cushions. Others set up at a few of the tables dotted around, pulling out their homework and getting a head start, to the orchestra of groans. Conversations cheerfully started up about the summer holidays while Gobblestones sets and chess sets were pulled out and exploding snap decks dusted off.

 

Soon the room was full of noise and warmth, laughter trickled throughout, accompanied by the sounds from exploding snap, or the destruction of chess. For once, Robert was silent, sitting in one of the window seats, staring out at the clear skies, gently resting his head on a hand, gazing out at the bright sprinkling of stars. The brightness of the nearly full moon caught his eye, for reasons he couldn’t quite grasp, brushing it aside for now, he instead worked on picking out his favourite constellations, brushing his hand against his forgotten Astronomy book. Out of pure instinct he pulled out some spare parchment, his quill and ink pot, inking his quill, it glided across the page without him needing to even look at it. James and Sirius watched curiously as he easily dotted constellations across the paper with well-practised strokes, lightly connecting up each one with a faint line, and with excellent penmanship labelled each constellation he drew.

 

The noise died out as they all started trickling off to bed, soon leaving the majority of the room seniors and very few first years, including Lily, Robert and surprisingly Peter, who had snagged a sofa and now lay sprawled across it, nose buried in the book Remus had given him. Lily was indulging in the quiet warmth of the room, diligently working on her homework, and studying ahead for tomorrows lessons. Soon however, the first years, unused to staying up so late, dozed off, the excitement having finally worn off, the seventh years, who remembered what the first year was like, smiled with nostalgia at the soft snores echoing throughout.

 

Without hesitation, they each scooped up a snoozing first year, the one who picked up Peter grunting in surprise, and carried them to their respective beds, even tucking them in. The two who had returned Robert and Peter stopping to marvel at Snuffles, they would recognise that Transfiguration anywhere. Quietly sneaking out of each respective room, taking the opportunity the silence gives them to finish up any summer assignments they hadn’t finished, or start essays they had been given. Silently protecting their youngsters from any noise disruptions, any of them ready to comfort if a nightmare grasps them.

 

A warm crackle and the scratching of quills is all that filled the common room, with the occasional yawn or creaking from a chair. The castle settling all around them, the ancient stone preparing for the cold of winter that was slowly approaching, soft footsteps echoing through a few halls as patrols began. Gentle glows coming from a few windows, from torch lights and lanterns. Eventually even the fires died down, and the footsteps quietened, and all that guarded the ancient castle apart from the various enchantments were the ghosts, who gently glided through its walls, silently protecting the occupants inside, and their secrets.

**Author's Note:**

> If this is short, i apologise, they will get progressively longer, promise


End file.
